OAF News

2015 Christina and Louis Quilico Awards Vocal Competition

Toronto, January 21, 2015 –The Ontario Arts Foundation is pleased to announce the third biennial Christina and Louis Quilico Awards Vocal Competition featuring the rising young stars of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio.

Members of the 2014/2015 COC Ensemble Studio (Photo: Chris Hutcheson)

The competition will take place on February 9, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. to 7;30 p.m. in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatreat the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The competition will be adjudicated by a panel composed of Alexander Neef, General Director of the COC, John Hess, Head of Collaborative Piano Studies at Western University, and Stuart Hamilton, vocal coach, pianist and author. The young artists featured in the February 9tth competition will perform for cash prizes singing one aria of their choice and one aria selected by the judges.

“Louis had wanted to establish this (award) before he died,” says Christina Petrowska Quilico. “It was really his vision to help young opera singers. Launching an award was something we could do to leave a legacy in memory of Louis’ success as a singer and as a support to future generations.”

This event is free and open to the public, with doors opening at 5 p.m. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and is limited.

About the COC Ensemble StudioFounded in 1980 by the Canadian Opera Company, the Ensemble Studio is Canada’s premier training program for young opera professionals. The members of the Ensemble Studio are the COC’s resident artists and are important ambassadors for the company. Since the program’s inception, over 180 young professional Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors and conductors have acquired their first major professional operatic experience through the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio. Former members include Ben Heppner, Isabel Bayrakdarian, John Fanning, Wendy Nielsen, David Pomeroy, Joseph Kaiser, Lauren Segal and Krisztina Szabó.

Members of the Ensemble Studio receive a blend of advanced study and practical experience through an individually tailored, multi-year program, involving understudying and performing mainstage roles, intensive vocal coaching, language and acting studies, and career skills development, as well as participation in masterclasses with internationally renowned opera professionals.

About the Christina and Louis Quilico AwardsChristina Petrowska-Quilico established the Christina and Louis Quilico Fund in 2000 to honour her late husband, renowned baritone, Louis Quilico, and to recognize outstanding young singers, pianists and composers for voice. During his 45 years on the stage, Louis Quilico shared performing credits with Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, José Carreras, Joan Sutherland and Renata Tebaldi. He was instrumental in furthering the careers of many young singers through his teaching and master classes. The Ontario Arts Foundation manages the endowment that funds the Christina and Louis Quilico Awards.

Established in 1991, the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) is passionately committed to building long-term support for the arts in Ontario. In 2013-2014, the OAF paid over $2.7 million in endowment income and $200,000 in awards and scholarships.

Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Companyis the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. The COC enjoys a loyal audience support-base and one of the highest attendance and subscription rates in North America. Under its leadership team of General Director Alexander Neef and Music Director Johannes Debus, the COC is increasingly capturing the opera world’s attention. The COC maintains its international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation by creating new productions within its diverse repertoire, collaborating with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracting the world’s foremost Canadian and international artists. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the Four Seasons Centre opened in 2006. For more information on the COC, visit its award-winning website, coc.ca.